Thursday, May 14, 2009

IF - Parade

We are approaching our final five weeks here in Tokyo, and I find myself mentally cataloging all the things I will miss about this wonderful country. One thing, surely, will be the sight of little Japanese schoolchildren on their way to school or on field trips in their adorable uniforms. The sight of brightly colored hats bobbing up and down in a wobbly line like a parade never fails to hypnotize me with delight.

the outfits are very cute! when i visited japan i often asked if i could take pictures and usually everyone looked at me like i was crazy. i even had a kid say i was weird (in japanese)! hahahaa. very cute though~ your picture definitely captures all the cuteness!!

Oh Bella Sinclair!!!, You are incredible! To think that you are doing this for leisure. Tessa is right, everything you do is CELESTIAL! You just get better than your last best work with everything you do. I am so overwhelmed. There is so much joy and happiness bursting from your work. It turns the most sedate, reticent, misanthrope to a joyful adamite. It triggers an approving smile across the face of an agelast and makes one characteristically succinct individual verbose in her acclamation. HIYAAH! Pure joy!

I Love this so much! I lived in Japan when I was a child and it is a magical place in my memory. I am currently studying Japanese, and would like to go back. Your illustration brings back memories. Enjoy the rest of your stay!

Oh Bella, this is so delightful!!Are you overwhelmed with the upcoming relocation? I've been so bogged down in my own move that I forgot you were leaving a place you also love.I'll keep you in my thoughts for a smooth transition ;)

You are so thoughtful on the uniforms Bella.I love the kids here. Their life are full of hope, sunshine, laugther and joy.It's another brilliant piece.I am sure you have a lot of sweet memories with Japan....

My car's radiator just broke down when I travelled back home, I need to send it for repair tomorrow.Hopefully when it's ready, I can post it to you by tomorrow Friday, if not, it has to be on Saturday.Thanks and take care:)

How sweet!I have a Japanese aunt.I havent seen her in years.She was always such a lovely lady, very sweet and gentle talking.Thats when we were all young shes in her 80s now.Have fun with your weeks ahead!

these sweet little creatures - i had to look at them each four or five times. ALL darling, and ALL different: shy, friendly, naughty, happy, sad, lonely, independent, chatty - a nice reminder that human nature varies just as much there as it does everywhere. what a beautiful illustration to remember your time in japan - good luck preparing for your move, and even though you don't have the time to do it, try to squeeze in a few things that you always wanted to do while you were in japan but haven't done yet!

Delightful Bella - I love the little characters on their Japanese caligraphy background. Only 5 weeks to go? And how fast it will go too. I whizzed around all my favourite haunts in Hong Kong before we left last year, madly taking photos and drinking in the atmosphere! Good luck with the preparations for the move.Caroline x

Bella, this is brilliant!!! Hmmm... Are you sure you're Bella Sinclair? Or is this Emma Sinclair posting one of her school art project? The craftmanship is definitely Bella but I don't know about how she captured the moment.:)Maybe Emma is art directing.hahaha

Reminds me of gradeschool field trips and flag ceremonies! I was always leading the line because I was the smallest then.hehe

HanamiGallery, thanks! I know someone who takes pictures of the kids by pretending to take pictures of something else. I think you can get arrested in London for taking pictures of kids, no? And what's the word for weird in Nihongo?

Mary Hall, thank you.Silver Knight, thank you.Voz, thanks! I am a sponge.Cheryl, I should have given them better shoes. :)

Hello, Renee. Ces is just incredible with the biggest heart, right?

Carolyn, I agree. The little uniforms here are so cute!

Oh, aimee! See? There's that sharp, scrutinizing eye of yours. Thank you, I'll try to squeeze as much in as I can.

Caroline, the time will absolutely fly! Ack!

Thank you, Owl Eng. Have a seat and enjoy.

Bjornik, haha. You caught me. This was Emma's. You were the smallest? My Emma is the smallest. All her classmates like to pick her up like a doll. And that boy is not her nemesis. He wears a different uniform. Actually, we now take a different route to school and no longer see him. Good memory!

I know what you mean. On a trip to Kew Gardens outside London, my father and I sat out the rain by ducking into a corner cafe which looked out onto a short row of homes.

As we munched lunch and read our books obtained in the little village, we saw several women walk by and wondered where they were headed as they kept passing in ones & twos for a while.

As the rain fell harder and the cafe canopies flapped in the wind, we saw the women returning...with their young children coming home from school. It was so fun to see them in MUCH more interesting rain gear than I've seen (of course in California, that just isn't GOING to be seen!).

My favorite raincoats were one in bright yellow on a boy, with a duck bill protruding from the hood over his face to protect his face....and a red coat worn by a girl with a little ladybug brim...so cute!

We also had a totally different view from our hotel lobby one morning as middle school aged children crossed the street in school uniforms and book bags. SO unlike my experience of school....really fun to see.

I have this cute little yellow suit that I could put on and be a part of this wonderful parade. Okay... the suit doesn't fit anymore because of the dang Jelly beans!!! The popcorn favored ones did it to me! I'll just stand to the side and let these fabulously dress little ones put their show on! They are past adorable. These darlings are somewhere in the precious zone or something. Honestly, how the heck do you do that???? I get such a good feeling from you work. It's like I can hear all their little voices speaking in japanese and the giggling and all! They are laughing at the cubby black lady in the corner trying to learn a bit of japanese so that I can ask them where they keep their popcorn favored jellies! he he he ! These are what I call so fondly, word pictures and they are not always easy to do, but you do it with your eyes closed, hands tied behind your back, while caring for hubby and children, cooking, cleaning, working, and blogging!!! AMAZING! When I grow up, and someday I will, I want to soooooooooooooooooo be like you. That's from the heart. You're the best girly! Thanks so much for your encouraging words today. I appreciate you so much, Hugs all around for a great weekend!!!!V.

Lovely Drawing Bella!! Enjoy the rest of your time in Japan. It has been fun seeing Japan through your eyes, the photographs and drawings. Thank you for that. I think you have quite a collection of memories already cataloged.

Have you given the drawings of all the children to the teacher yet? What was her reaction?

Thank you for visiting my blog and for all your sweet comments.

I am feeling better from my Strep throat. I did get to enjoy a family walk that day. We have nature trails on our property and we took a long walk and enjoyed each other and nature. I took lots of photos, which I will post on my blog soon.

変 hahaha. well i mean its definitely creepy to be taking pics of children! hahahaa. i would probably call the police if i saw someone doing it! hahahahaha, but they are so cute and we dont have those outfits around here!!!!

Very cute! Wow, five weeks left, eh?! Let me tell you, those five weeks are gonna fly by! I'm in panic mode right now because there's still packing to do and other loose ends to tie up and we're leaving in 10 days! Waahhh! Enjoy it while you can! :)

i remember i was hypnotised by the kindergarten children lining up during their visit to Asakusa a few years back. They are so cute--tiny white hats and their white and blue uniforms. Your illustration just reminded me of them. :)

More lucky than we know and so are the men in our country. So are we lucky...

We have to let our voices be heard so that women mean something in a country where we are considered free and equal at least in our own minds and so that we can have enough power to help our sisters in other countries. In countries where there are no rights and even those no rights are becoming minus-no rights.

You are lucky you found a dollar! And a tube of paint, must be cobalt blue. I slept with a tube of cobalt blue pigment before! No I do not have any latex suit with polka dot. How about I just draw polka dots directly on your epidermis?

HEE HEE HEE!!! You are so funny!! What say you about the two of us getting matching outfits??? hee hee hee!!! Your husband and his friend with the matching shoes and watches are hilarious!!! I'm still laughing. OMG! I won't tell you about the time my friend and I brought thongs. Let's just say it was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong WRONG!!!! hee hee hee!! That was the very last time we brought anything that was same. Just because they make it in your size doesn't mean this chick should wear them. Have a wonderful day!!

Hello, Renee & Ces. D-day is June 22. The sun cannot possible shine any brighter in North America with you two already in it. As it is, I will have to purchase sunscreen with an SPF of 150 and solar eclipse glasses.

Oh the Viking! I am the lucky one. he is one gentle and soft soul early in the morning and that sexy hairy chest oooohhh...it turns me to an Amazon! YOWZA!!! Of course this only happens when I love him, but when he is a dickhead after playing with the boys, please pardon my expression, forget it!

That damn Ces notice how she is calling me a fishwife. I told her my Mom's family is from Aberdeen and the men worked on the north sea and the women were fishwifes and so now she is calling me a fishwife and making fun of my heritage.

What a truly horrible person she is.

I do think she would give someone rat poison.

We must keep her away from my new love Julian. I will have to tell her not to look at him and his sax.

If he asks me to polish his sax. I shall tell him that the best way for me to do that would be to put it near my inner thighs as the fact that I am 217 pounds they will rub together so that anything stuck in between them with get a really great polish and shine.

After it is so well polished if you and Ces want, you will both be able to see your reflections in it. How does tht appeal to you?

i wish you guys a pleasant move.. how long have you been in Japan? a few years? have you daughters been to the U.S.? which country do they consider home?

still, must be hard for them to move... but move is always fun!!!

do you guys already have a place to move to? this is a nice time to buy houses in the states now. i heard the prices went really down. a few of my friends and relatives are considering buying some real estate there you know..

LOL!!! You must have been going WTF??I love it. I was afraid to say anything to anyone. I didn't want to spoil the surprise.It was Renee who urged me on, it was synchronus,with the Vampyre thing and all and her Birthday coming. Too good of moment to let slip away.

Mea Culpa

Dilettante Extraordinaire.
I'm an advertiser-turned psychologist-turned stay-at-home mom, caught between yearnings for intellectual stimulation and creative explosion and not being able to do either with full conviction.